Roller fluid applicator



J. D. JOLLY ROLLER FLUID APPLIGATOR Feb. 11, 1969 Sheet Filed March 7, 1967 BY making,

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I i n M "2-11111 I 1 ||1\| r1115}; I ow mm. 0m 9 we 8 ATTQRNEYS United States Patent Olfice P 3,427,115 atented Feb. 11, 1969 3,427,115 ROLLER FLUID APPLICATOR James Duncan Jolly, McQuady, Ky. 49153 Filed Mar. 7, 1967, Ser. No. 621,177 US. Cl. 401-219 Int. Cl. B4411 3/28 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Background of the invention This invention relates to liquid applying applicators, and more particularly, to hand held liquid applying applicators for applying viscous, quick-drying liquids such as contact cement.

Contact cement is required for attaching Formica and other plastic laminae to supporting surfaces. Such cement is quick drying and requires rapid application to large surface areas in order for proper bonding to be effected. It has been the practice to apply contact cement by means of conventional hand held rollers of the type normally employed for painting, by brushing and by spraying. However, none of the prior art methods of applying contact cement has proven to be satisfactory. Hand rollers have proven unsatisfactory in that they produce an uneven film of adhesive due to the fact that the adhesive on the roller soon dries and thickens so as to leave deposits or globs of adhesive on the surface to which it is being applied and furthermore, such rollers soon become gummed up to such an extent that they are no longer capable of rolling over the surface to which the adhesive is to be applied.

More sophisticated hand-held rollers having supplementary means for supplying adhesive to the applicator roller have also been employed. Examples of such rollers are found in US. Patents Nos. 2,955,310 and 2,898,618. However, all of these prior art devices employ supplemental means for feeding liquid to the primary applicator roller which directly contact the applicator roller in order to supply liquid thereto. Such means may be in the form of a hollow manifold means such as shown in the aforementioned patents or such means may be in the form of a supplemental liquid storage roller in rolling contact with the main applicator roller. The rolling contact between the two rollers creates a drag on the main applicator roller which is worsened as the passage of time causes the adhesive on the rollers to evaporate and thicken. The adhesive eventually becomes so thick that the main applicator roller is caused to slide over the surface onto which adhesive is being applied rather than rolling over the surface in the desired manner. For these reasons, such handheld devices have not proven to be satisfactory for applying quick-drying adhesive.

Another short-coming of the prior hand-held roller devices resides in the fact that they are often awkward for use in cramped or inaccessible locations. Consequently, it is necessary to have a variety or rollers having their specific rollers oriented at different angles with respect to their support handles so as to provide means for applying liquid in different varying circumstances.

The instant invention provides an inexpensive handheld applicator roller structure in which liquid is continuously supplied to the roller by means which does not contact the roller in any manner whatsoever. Consequently, the means for applying the liquid to the applicator roller does not create any drag whatsoever upon the applicator roller. Furthermore, the relationship between the means for applying the liquid to the roller and the roller is such that the liquid is open to the atmosphere for a very short period of time prior to being applied to the surface to be bonded. Consequently, only a slight amount of evaporation takes place. Furthermore, the instant invention overcomes the problems of clogging and requires little or no maintenance.

The application of contact cement by brushes has proven to be even more unsatisfactory than the use of handheld rollers. This is true because the adhesive dries extremely quickly on the bristles and they soon become stiff and ineffective.

Numerous attempts have been made to apply contact cement by means of spray equipment. However, such equipment is extremely costly both in the terms of initial expense and in terms of maintenance expense. Furthermore, the fumes from contact cement are noxious at best, and possibly fatal, if inhaled in large quantities. Moreover, such fumes present a distinct fire and explosion hazard and consequently, specially equipped rooms with sufficient ventilation to carry the fumes away are required for spraying apparatus of any significant capacity.

Another shortcoming of the spray method resides in the fact that the adhesive must normally travel a considerable distance through the air and consequently dries out quite significantly before it impinges upon the surface to be bonded. As a result of this fact, the adhesive must be greatly thinned by solvent so that several coats have to be applied in order to reach a film thickness necessary to provide a permanent bond. The addition of such solvent obviously compounds the problems inherent with the evaporation of the solvent. The spray devices previously employed have also required a great deal of maintenance in that they tend to eventually clog and require a complete dismantling in order to remove the clogging deposits.

Summary of the invention It is a primary object of this invention to provide a new and improved liquid applying roller means.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a new and improved liquid applying roller means in which a primary applicator roller continuously receives liquid from means not in contact with the applicator roller.

Yet another object of this invention is the provision of a new and improved roller applicator means having great versatility for use in many varied situations.

The foregoing objects are accomplished by the provision of an applicator roller having liquid continuously supplied thereto by a series of apertures or orifices in the elongated liquid manifold which lie along the length of the roller and which direct liquid continuously onto the rollers surfaces. The elongated manifold means is readily adjustable radially with respect to the primary applicator roller and is also adjustable about the periphery of the roller. Valve means is associated with each orifice to vary the quantity of liquid that can flow therethrough. Each valve means includes a stem end which extends through each orifice to close same and consequently clean each orifice during closing and also pre- 3 vent liquid from drying in the orifice. The entire structure is supported upon a handle in an adjustable manner and fluid is directed through a conduit in the handle to the supply apertures. The entire structure is readily ad justable so as to enable usage in a variety of different application situations.

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along lines 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 33 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along lines 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

Description of the preferred embodiment The preferred embodiment of the invention consists of a hand-held roller applicator including a handle having a supply hose 12 connected to one end thereof and having a tubular roller support member 14 extending from the end thereof. An applicator roller 16 is supported on the end of support member 14 for rotation and receives liquid discharged on its outer surface from an elongated manifold generally designated 18.

FIGURE 3 illustrates a liquid supply conduit 20 which extends substantially coaxially throughout the length of handle 10. Hose 12 is connected to a fitting 22 extending from the upstream end of conduit 20. A push-button actuated valve 24 is located in a radial bore in handle 10 adjacent the downstream end of conduit 20 as shown in FIGURE 3. Valve 24 includes a spherical ball 26 biassed against valve seat 28 by a compression spring 30 and a bias block 32 in an obvious manner. The valve seat 28 is formed in a lower portion of a threaded sleeve 34 which has an axial cavity 36 communicating with ball 26. A radial bore 38 extends through sleeve 34 to communicate with axial cavity 36. A push-button retaining sleeve 40 is threadably received Within an interior bore in sleeve 34 and has a push-button 42 mounted for reciprocation therein A ball actuating valve stem 44 extends downwardly from button 42 through a substantially fluid tight axial bore in sleeve 34 to engage the top surface of ball 26 as shown.

The liquid supply conduit 20 includes a primary passageway 46 and a smaller passageway 48 which provides a communication between primary passageway 46 and a radially oriented cavity 50 in which ball 26, spring 30 and bias block 32 are located. The downstream portion of conduit 20 includes an axial chamber 54 which communicates via an angled passageway 56 with the lower portion of sleeve 34 and with the radial bore 38 as shown in FIGURE 3. The downstream end of chamber 54 communicates with an axial passageway 58 in a tubular fitting 60 which is clamped to the end of handle 10 by a knurled retainer 62 which is threaded onto the exterior of handle 10 as shown. A hollow passageway 64 extends throughout the length of tubular support member 14 which is threaded into fitting 60 so that passageway 64 communicates with axial passageway 58.

When button 42 is depressed, pressurized fluid from supply hose 12 passes through fitting 22, through passageway 46, smaller passageway 48, radial cavity 50, and up around the surface of ball 26 into cavity 36 formed in sleeve 34. The fluid then passes back through radial bore 38, angled passageway 56, chamber 54 and passageway 58 into the passageway 64 in tubular roller support member 14. The fluid path is indicated by the arrows in FIG- URE 3. When the push-button 42 is released to assume the position illustrated in FIGURE 3, ball 26 acts as a check valve and is biassed against the valve seat 28 by spring 30 and the pressure of fluid within cavity 50 to completely stop fluid flow.

The applicator roller 16 and the elongated manifold 18 for supplying fluid to the surface of the applicator roller are mounted on the end of tubular roller support member 14 opposite to handle 10 as shown in FIGURE 1. FIGURE 2 illustrates the details of the roller and the elongated manifold means. Support member 14 terminates in a manifold support bearing 66 having an inner roller support shaft 68 integrally extending from bearing 66 as shown in FIGURE 2. Bearing 66 has a bevelled circular lug 70 extending around its portion adjacent to its connection to support member 14 and also includes an interior axial chamber 72 communicating with hollow passageway 64 as shown. A radial passageway 74 extends outwardly from chamber 72. A swivel stem 76 encircles bearing 66 so as to be supported rotatably thereon. Swivel stem 76 has a bevelled edge 78 which engages the bevelled circular lug 70 and a retainer 80 having a bevelled circular surface 82 engages a second bevelled surface on swivel stem 76 when the retainer is threaded onto threads 84 on the base of shaft 68 so that swivel stem 76 can be clamped in any desired rotary position about the axis of bearing 66. Bearing 66 is coaxial with shaft 68 and roller 16. A lock nut 86 provides a supplemental locking action for retainer 80 in an obvious manner. An axial passage 88 extends the entire length of swivel stem 76 which is capped by a hollow threaded cap 90 having a threaded radial arm 92. Cap 90 is retained in adjusted position along stem 76 by a knurled lock 94 and has an interior passage 96 communicating with passageway 88 and extending out through radial arm 92 to communicate with the interior of the elongated manifold 18.

Manifold 18 comprises a generally circular elongated tube 98 which is threaded onto radial arm 92 and is retained in position along the radial arm by a threaded knurled sleeve 100 which is also threaded onto radial arm 92 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 2. A plurality of orifice openings or apertures 102 are spaced in protusions along the length of tube 98 and each orifice opening has a valve stem 104 associated therewith for movement into the orifice opening to adjust the amount of fluid that can pass outwardly through the opening. It should be noted that each orifice opening normally faces the surface of roller 16 so as to discharge fluid onto the surface. Valve stems 104 are threaded onto tube 98 and are adjustable inwardly and outwardly by rotation of a knurled knob 106 on the end of each valve stem. Each stem on its end has a reduced portion 107 which snugly enters in and completely fills its respective orifice when the valve is closed. Consequently, the reduced portion both cleans the orifice and prevents liquid from drying therein when the valve is closed, A cap seal 108 is provided with each valve stem to prevent the escape of liquid out around each valve stem. The number of orifices and associated valves is such that the entire length of roller 16 can be coated with liquid if desired, however, in certain applications it is desired to only coat a portion of the roller and under such conditions, certain of the valves can be turned off completely.

Roller 16 is conventional and comprises end caps 110 and 112 which support an inner sleeve 114 which is surrounded by an outer absorbent pile or the like sleeve 116. The entire roller structure 16 is retained on shaft 68 by screw 118 threaded in the end of shaft 68.

In operation, pressurized fluid from supply hose 12 passes through handle 10, valve 24, tubular support member 14, hearing 66, swivel stem 76 and radial arm 92 into the interior of tube 98 of the manifold. Orifice openings 102 discharge the pressurized fluid onto the surface of applicator roller 16 in an obvious manner. Each valve stem 104 can be adjusted to vary the amount of fluid .applied to the surface of the roller. It should also be noted that the entire manifold can be moved radially inwardly and outwardly with respect to the applicator roller by virtue of the threaded connection to swivel stem 76. Such an adjustment is accomplished by rotating cap 90 until the manifold is in the desired radial position and subsequently locking the manifold in this position 'by means of the knurled lock sleeve 94. This adjustment enables the use of different rollers of differing radii.

In a similar manner, the manifold tube 98 can be positioned axially along roller 16 by virtue of rotating the tube on arm 92 to move it axially. The tube is then locked in the desired position by tightening of knurled lock sleeve 100 in an obvious manner. Furthermore, in some instances it may be desirable to use the manifold for directly spraying liquid onto a work surface rather than spraying the liquid onto the roller for subsequent rolling application. Such action is easily achieved by pivoting the manifold outwardly so that orifices 102 do not face the roller .and locking the manifold in such an outwardly facing position by knurled locking sleeve 1%. Additional versatility is accorded to this invention by virtue of the fact that retainer 80 allows the manifold to be rotated about the axis of shaft 68 (which is the axis of roller 16) and locked by retainer 80 and nut 86 in any desired position about the roller axis in an obvious manner. All that is necessary in order to achieve such an adjustment is for retainer 80 and lock nut 86 to be loosened slightly so that swivel stem 76 can be pivoted about bearing 66 to a desired rotative position and retained in such a position by subsequent tightening of elements 80 and 86.

Moreover, additional versatility is achieved through virtue of the fact that knurled retainer 62 can be loosened so that support tube 14 and roller 16 can be rotated about the axis of handle to any desired position and retained in such a position by the simple expedient of again tightening knurled retainer 62.

Another great advantage of the invention is that it is practically maintenance free due to the novel valve construction which prevents liquid from drying in the discharge orifice.

This invention is extremely useful for applying quickdrying viscous liquids such as contact cement due to the fact that the liquid is exposed to the air only a short time before it is applied to the work surface. This is true because the orifices 102 can be closely spaced from the surface of roller 16 so that the liquid has only a short air space to traverse before it impinges on the surface of the roller. Furthermore, the fact that no portion of the manifold actually touches the roller provides an extremely advantageous relationship in that no drag is applied to the roller by means for applying liquid to the roller. This is particularly critical when extremely viscous quick-drying liquids are employed. Although the invention provides many new and improved results when using such viscous quick-drying liquids, it should be clearly understood that the invention can also be used with other liquids.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings, The foregoing disclosure relates to only .a preferred embodiment of the invention and numerous modifications or alterations may be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a liquid applicator of the type having a cylindrical roller mounted for rotation on roller support means for applying liquid to generally fiat surfaces, the improvement comprising:

a pressurized elongated fluid containing manifold aligned with said roller and having orifice means along its length facing said roller and closely spaced from said roller to discharge liquid onto the surface of said roller without creating frictional drag on said roller and retaining means for adjustably retaining said elongated manifold on said roller support means in any desired adjusted rotative position about the axis of said roller.

2. The device of claim 1 additionally including means for adjusting the spacing between said orifices and said roller radially with respect to said roller.

3. The device of claim 2 additionally including retaining means for adjustably retaining said elongated manifold in any desired rotative position about its own axis.

4. The device of claim 2 additionally including an adjustable valve associated with each of said orifices and including a valve stem portion which fills and extends completely through each orifice when closed to clean each orifice and prevent liquid from drying therein .and which is movable in each orifice for varying the amount of liquid that can pass through each specific orifice.

5. The device of claim 1 additionally including handle means and means adjustably connecting said roller support means to said handle means so that the axis of said roller can be adjustably positioned in any desired rotative position about the axis of said handle means.

6. The device of claim 5 additionally including an adjustable valve associated with each of said orifices for varying the amount of liquid that can pass through each specific orifice.

7. The device of claim 5 including a liquid flow passage extending through said handle and said roller support to said elongated manifold for supplying pressurized liquid to said elongated manifold.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein said handle includes a valve means in said liquid flow passage to vary the amount of fluid that can flow to said manifold and wherein each of said adjustable valves includes a valve stem portion which fills and extends completely through each orifice when said valve is closed to clean each orifice and prevent liquid from drying in each orifice.

9. A liquid applicator comprising;

a handle;

a liquid supply conduit extending through said handle;

a pressurized liquid supply source connected to said conduit at one end of said handle;

manually actuable valve means in said conduit for varying the amount of liquid that can pass through said conduit;

a tubular support means extending from the other end of said handle and having one end of a liquid passage extending throughout the length of said tubular support communicating with said liquid supply conduit in said handle to receive liquid therefrom;

an applicator roller support shaft attached to the other end of said tubular support means and oriented substantially perpendicular to the axis of said handle;

an applicator roller mounted for rotation on said roller support shaft;

a manifold supporting swivel stem extending outwardly from the other end of said tubular support means and having a liquid passage communicating with the liquid passage in said tubular support member to receive pressurized liquid therefrom;

an elongated manifold extending from said swivel stem parallel to the axis of said applicator roller and communicating with said liquid passage in said swivel stem to receive pressurized liquid therefrom;

a plurality of orifice openings along said manifold spaced from the outer surface of said applicator roller and normally facing the outer surface of said applicator roller so that pressurized liquid received in said manifold is forcefully discharged through said orifice openings to traverse the space between said orifice and said outer surface of said roller to be received upon said outer surface;

valve means associated with each orifice opening and including a valve stem portion which fills and extends completely through each orifice when closed to clean each orifice and prevent liquid from drying therein and which is movable in each orifice for adjusting the amount of liquid discharged from each orifice opening;

means for retaining said tubular support in adjustable rotative position about the axis of said handle so as to adjustably position the axis of said applicator roller in desired rotary position about the axis of said handle means;

adjustable means for supporting and retaining said swivel stem and manifold in any desired rotary position about the axis of said roller; 1

means for adjusting the radial distance of said manifold from the outer surface of said applicator roller; and

means for retaining said manifold in any desired rotary position about its own axis.

8 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 10/1956 Germany. 12/1966 Switzerland.

LAWRENCE CHARLES, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 401208 

